It was 98 degrees, with HIGH humidity when we entered the park. The turning point in game one came when Jose Contreras, using a slide step to avoid a stolen base, served up a two run meatball to Brandon Phillips. On a 1-1 pitch Ozzie Guillen called apitchout, but guessed wrong. I just said, I’d double up on another pitchout, instead the two run bomb turned a one run lead into a one run deficit, with Chicago’s anemic bats made look insurmountable, two hits through 8 innings, two 9th inning hits cut the deficit, which had risen to two, once again to one, which was where it ended.
Just killed time on Saturday, before long it was time to head over to the Great American Ballpark for a sellout at the first Civil Rights Game which counted, on hand were celebrities Muhammad Ali, Bill Cosby, Frank Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, Hank Aaron, and former President Bill Clinton. The first 20,000 fans received a very nice Frank Robinson replica jersey, I gave mine to very nice couple, who’d missed out on getting one.
Almost before I’d settled into my seat Clayton Richard & the Sox were trailing 5-0 to the Reds & their best pitcher Johnny Cueto. The turning point in this game came when Gordon Beckham turned a fastball around for a three run bomb, and turned a blowout into a ballgame, in which the White Sox hit four homers, and won going away. A Red fan had thrown Beckham’s first home run ball back on the field, but remarkably Gordon didn’t want it.
In the morning I packed, ate breakfast, checked my e-mail, and was checking out the Reds Hall of Fame, outside the Great American Ballpark. Several players from the Negro Leagues were on hand, signing autographs, and they had a movie about old Crosley Field, which makes you wonder why they didn’t make GABP a replica of Crosley, GABP isn’t very impressive.
The turning point in the series finale came after Mark Buehrle pitched 7 innings of shutout ball and handed a 3-0 lead over to Scott Linebrink. There was one run in, runners on first & second, one out (a well hit ball to RF), in a now 3-1 ballgame, when the batter lined one to SS on which Jerry Hairston, Jr. was doubled off 2nd to end the inning. Every youngster knows to let the liners go through, especially when trailing by two with less than two out, maybe they should tell JH2. The Sox scored in the top of the 9th to make it 4-1, and Bobby Jenks was brought on in the bottom of the 9th to protect the victory. Gordon Beckham looked like Brooks Robinson at 3B and had a double, single, & walk in four plate appearances on Sunday, after hitting his first longball the night before. But really the sparkplug for the team has been their new/old guy, leadoff man Scott Podsednik, who’s batting .320, and stealing bases.